Archaeologists 3 years kept in secret information about the ancient cemetery, to avoid friction with the local population.
In 2013, researchers first discovered a cemetery of the ancient Philistines in Israel, but only now told about the opening. Scientists believe that it will shed light on the origin of the people.
The discovery of the cemetery was the culmination of excavation, which lasted three decades. The archaeologists were able to find 145 the remains of several funeral rooms. Some of them were surrounded by jewelry, weapons and utensils. The remains date from 11-8 century BC.
“After decades of studying the fact that the Philistines left behind, we finally came face to face with people themselves, – said one of the leaders of the excavation Daniel Master. Thanks to this discovery we are closer than ever to uncover the secret of their origin.”
Researchers still do not have a single opinion about the origin of an ancient people. It is assumed that the roots of the Philistines are in Greece, Crete or Cyprus, or in Turkey. Currently, the researchers carried out tests on the remains to ascertain the exact location.
Despite the fact that the burial was discovered in 2013, all this time, the researchers had to keep their discovery a secret until the excavation is completed. Thus they tried not to attract the attention of ultra-Orthodox Jews protested at the site against the scientists disturbed burial.
